Terms & Conditions
Welcome to our Community Supported Fishery. Crab Pot Depot LLC is committed to providing the absolute best wild Maryland and Chesapeake Bay seafood and delivery service in the East Coast. By joining our CSF, you are guaranteed assurance that all the crabs (shell-fish) you’ll enjoy comes from small-boat watermen in Eastern Shores of Maryland. By joining our CSF, you are acknowledging agreement to the following terms and conditions.
Electronic Communication
The bulk of our communication with members, including delivery notification, will be through email. For this reason, we ask that you provide a valid email address that you check regularly. Unless otherwise requested, we’ll contact you at the email you provided upon enrollment. If you prefer to be contacted by another method, please let us know, and we’ll happily handle your delivery-related communication via phone. By enrolling in the CSF, you automatically will be added to our monthly email list. This is how we relay news, communicate updates and changes, and announce special members-only sales and events.
If others in your family or with whom you are splitting your share would like to be included with delivery emails and/or our monthly email newsletter and other updates, please let us know. By default, we keep only one email attached to each share account.
All our member information, including your email address, is kept securely. We will never share your information with anyone without your consent.
Deliveries
If you live within one of our CSF delivery zones, home delivery is included in your share, free of charge. Your delivery dates for the duration of your share season are posted on the magnet you’re receiving now. About one week ahead of time, we’ll contact you with a reminder of when we plan to deliver your share. These dates are based upon the address you provided upon enrollment. If this address changes or you are unable to accept delivery on the scheduled date, please contact us at crabshares@crabpotdepot.com, and we will make the necessary adjustments. All shares will arrive between 10am and 7pm. If you prefer a daytime workplace delivery or an evening home delivery, please communicate your needs in advance, and we’ll incorporate them into our planning as best we can.
There is no need for you to be home at the time of delivery. In the case that you’re not home, your share will always be left with enough insulation and/or dry ice to keep it frozen our fresh for at least 7 hours. Crab Pot Depot LLC is not responsible for doorstep-delivered seafood beyond the 7-hour window.
Alternate Deliveries Arrangements
If you know you will be out of town during a delivery, we are happy to arrange delivery to a friend or neighbor in the area. Depending on the location, this may change the delivery date. Please contact us, preferably at least a week ahead of time, to communicate an alternate delivery address.
Delivery Mishaps
Should an error occur while executing your delivery, please contact us. We will be happy to resolve the issue.
Quality
We guarantee you high-quality shell- fish, Period. If you are not satisfied with the quality of your shell- fish, call us at 413-672-2482, and we will refund the purchase price or replace your order.
Crab Pot Depot Shares guarantees proper storage temperature and handling until the point of delivery and up to 7 hours after delivery, if made via doorstep cooler or insulated tote bag. After a delivery occurs, whether an in-person receipt or doorstep delivery within the 7-hour window, the shareholder is responsible for properly storing the share package to maintain its quality. Crab Pot Depot Shares and the FDA recommend that you keep your fresh items under the proper refrigeration and frozen items at freezer temperature until the day before you plan to cook it, and that you thaw all frozen items under refrigeration. We are happy to answer any questions about recommended storage, thawing, or preparation of your seafood.
Fillet Size
When you become a member of our Community Supported Fishery, you are allowing CRAB POT DEPOT to enter into a contract for whole fish from the small-boat fishermen who work with us. Given that your fish come in all shapes and sizes, it is sometimes difficult to supply uniform portions. We do our best to equally distribute portion sizes and pieces among our members, but the portions of fish you receive will vary in size and cut.
In general, portions will be about 1 pound. Usually, you’ll receive a mix of thicker portions from around the belly and thinner portions from around the tail. Each box will contain at least 5 pounds of fish, except spot prawns which will be delivered in 4-pound increments. Please keep in mind that fish size varies by fish and species so the mix of portions will vary also.
Color
In the grocery store, most farmed salmon will have been dyed to mimic the pinkish hues common to wild salmon flesh. In nature, the color of salmon comes from genetics and from where and what they eat on the food chain. Some salmon have darker, redder flesh while others have lighter, almost pale, flesh. When you receive your salmon, you’ll notice that its color may vary significantly. Some king salmon even have white flesh! (Indeed, some chefs will pay a premium for it and swear by its superiority.) The variation of the flesh coloring has no impact on quality or taste–aside from reflecting your fine taste in supporting wild fisheries.
Bones & Skin
The bones of our whitefish are removed during the filleting process. Your salmon, however, will have a single row of bones called “pin bones.” These bones run from neck to tail of the fish, about a third of the way down the back, just above the midline. Pin bones are easily removed with a good pair of tweezers, pliers or even your fingers. Here’s how:
Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find that it usually takes only a minute or two to debone the salmon yourself. There’s also no harm in cooking your fish bone-in and just pushing them aside as you enjoy your salmon.
All salmon and several of our other species will come skin-on. The skin of these wild fish is completely edible, and–unlike their farmed counterparts–some would say, one of the tastiest parts of the fish. Try it crispy from the grill!
Getting Beyond Your Share of Fish
Once you’ve joined, there are several ways you can get more fish than you’ve committed to receiving:
- Expand your share – If you joined at one of our smaller shares, you can always call or email us to extend your share to one of the longer season shares.
- Add fish a la carte – If you’re craving a few extra pounds once receiving a particular species, or want to taste something not included in your share, let us know–if we have the reserves available, we’ll work with you to get it added to your next delivery. We just ask that all a la carte orders be in species quantities of 5 pounds.
- Clean our freezer – We like to end the season with a bang–and empty our warehouse freezers for winter. We can never guarantee what we’ll have remaining at the end of the season, but it’s become an annual tradition that many members look forward to and use to stock their freezers for winter. The sale is first-come, first-served until sold out, and delivered in December.
Perks of Membership
Hopefully, you’ll be like the hundreds of eaters across the Midwest who’ve joined us over the past four years and will love what you’re in for this year. We always welcome member engagement and aim to hold several community events in our various markets over the course of the year, from our annual Wild Alaskan Salmon Day festival in Galesburg, Illinois, to educational and culinary events with other community food organizations. Got an idea for a potential partnership? Drop us a line. Some of these events will be free to members, while others will be ticketed, but with early announcement to members. This insider knowledge also may extend to unmarketed midseason fish sales.
Cancellations and Refunds
You may cancel your membership at any time, and we’ll refund the remainder of your deliveries.
How You Can Contact Us
We prioritize quick and clear communications with our members. If you have questions, concerns we look forward to hearing from you. Contact us at Support@crabpotdepot.com or call us from Monday -Friday from 8:00am – 5:00pm EST